The first cohort of Telford College’s short evening courses have completed their five-week programme, with glowing feedback about their experiences.
Each course runs one evening a week and is free to anybody who is over 19 years of age and earns less than £25,000, costing just £30 for those earning over £25,000.
The college launched three evening courses; Introduction to Basic Vehicle Maintenance, Introduction to Basic Home Maintenance & Introduction to Welding, which started in September of this year.
As well as new students, the first intake saw members of staff try their hand at a new skill, including student services officer Tammy Sutton, who signed up to study on the introduction to basic vehicle maintenance course.
“I wanted to increase my confidence and learn how to fix my own car” says Tammy. “Some of the things I’ve learnt include how to service a car, remove and replace batteries, and how do an oil change, which will save me a lot of money in the future.
“This course has really sparked an interest, and I think I’ve found my new hobby.”
On the introduction to basic home maintenance course, exams assistant Michelle Bishop and security officer Ricky Wise have chosen their studies to improve their DIY skills.
“I wanted to do the course as I like to learn new skills for use at home and in the garden.” says Michelle. “I wanted to gain knowledge about things to consider in advance, I am quite spontaneous with DIY projects at home, so to have a bit of background advice and guidance in advance has been really helpful.
“I have enjoyed the company of my classmates and appreciated the guidance of my tutors, who have been supportive and nurturing. My favourite project has been the block paving, I found it useful as it reinforced you have to get the preparation right, be patient and then the brick pattern of choice, be it basketweave or herringbone, will look even and as it should.
“I would definitely be up for doing another course to get tips to help me with this and save myself money by having a go at a project myself, giving me a sense of satisfaction and achievement along the way.”
“On this course I’ve learned skills from painting to tiling” adds Ricky. “Potentially I can save myself money in the future by doing it, instead of hiring someone to do it for me.
“I’ve really enjoyed the fun atmosphere by the lecturers, everything is explained to us in a way that the average person off the street could understand. It’s been a real confidence booster for me and I can’t wait to apply my skills at home.
“Now that I’ve finished this course, I’m going to sign up for the automotive taster. I’m learning to drive and the ability to maintain my own car is useful to me, knowing what can be done at home and where my limits are before I need to call a professional.”
The college is also adding Introduction to Painting and Decorating, Introduction to Machining Metal and Introduction to Basic Electronics courses to its lineup of technical adult courses, with a view to offer qualifications in automotive, construction & engineering to adults in the next academic year.
A longer installment of the welding course, MIG Welding Level 1 is set to start in January, with limited places available for the 16 week programme.
The next cohort of these courses start on the week commencing 4th November, sign up here today.
